Shattered Hearts
by Rune-Spirit
Summary: Orochimaru x Tsunade. The two legendary sannin dwell on their feelings for one another. A Challenge fic from Finalement.
1. Orochimaru

RS: A challenge fic from Finalement. And I guess it's sorta dedicated to her, since it was she who sanctioned it. I'm writing it in two or three parts, so it won't be very long. I believe this will mark the first multi-chapter fic I've ever finished. And it wasn't even my idea. Oh dear…  
Finalement: I hope this meets your standards!

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**Shattered Hearts**  
**Orochimaru**

He'd made his offer, and she'd refused. She'd made her choice, squeezed his heart in a vice until it cracked, shattering into a million jagged shards. All he needed was a healing jutsu on his arms, one that was quite simple for a woman of her stature to perform, and then she'd see them again, hold them in her arms. But she was a hypocrite.

"Sasuke," his stoic apprentice looked up at him awaiting his orders, "go outside with Kabuto and train." With silent nods the two left him alone in that room, alone to wallow in his thoughts.

Yes Tsunade, the conniving dissembler she was, had performed. She chose to do exactly what he himself had, after she'd so adamantly discouraged. She could have chosen him, her close friend and companion, and her family. But no, she'd chosen power. She could have come with him, started a family in his village of sound while he watched from afar, secretly… dare he say it, _pining_.

He only wanted her to be happy. In his cold, heartless being, he'd found the room to worry for her. He would be willing to watch her live the life she had always dreamt of, even if it meant he would not be a part of it, though he so wanted to be. He would allow her to live on with that lover of hers, Dan. He would have allowed her to marry him, fuck him, have his children, die with him at a ripe old age. And he'd watch them, the whole time secretly knowing that it was he who belonged in Dan's place, _deserved_ to be there.

She didn't want him, though, and probably never had. At least, she never had in their adult lives. Of course, Tsunade had more than glanced at him when they worked together on the same team, he'd considered her an option as well. But that was long ago and far away, when they were young and foolish gennin. They were older now, more mature, and well aware that they could never be together. Such was not the way of the ninja. One always took a lover at the risk of heartbreak, at the risk that they would one day awake to find that their darling had not returned from a mission and perhaps never would. That was life, but many a youthful and naïve kunoichi dreamt of a fairytale adventure between her and a fellow peer, and a select few shinobi were foolish enough to go along for the ride.

But all great ninjas must grow up; at least, they must if they wish to survive. Those kunoichi and their shinobi would experience loss and suffering, forcing them to mature, forcing them to discard such foolish matters as the heart and love and marriage, and accept what is truly important. Some would die; others would move on to become chuunin. And then some of these ninja would die, leaving even more wretched agony in their wake. And those left, the select few shinobi and kunoichi strong enough to survive, they would go on to become jounin, probably never experiencing love like that again, and ultimately meet death as well.

Standing, he sauntered forward and peered out of his dark room. Silently he watched his apprentice, wondering if perhaps he felt the same things, the same pain. Orochimaru was not blind; he'd seen the young girl that stood a member of team seven. Such a sweet, pretty young thing and completely devoted to Sasuke she was. Like Tsunade had been, only stronger. She even shared her mentor's spunk, as Sasuke shared his own's dark solitude.

Would history repeat itself? Was the younger Uchiha destined to follow in his footsteps, turn his back on the one girl who ever truly loved him and whom he ever truly loved? For that matter, did he even love the girl? Did he even love this Sakura? If asked of whether he had feelings for the kunoichi, he'd surely deny it. Orochimaru ignored his even now. But perhaps he was wrong, and his successor truly saw the girl as nothing but a nuisance.

He moved deeper into the room cursing his being for thinking, cursing that foul woman for making him think. _Love_. He scoffed at the very idea. He strived for power, immortality. Love was nowhere on his radar. He needed no one, save for Sasuke Uchiha, but even then he did not need _Sasuke_, merely his body. This woman had no power over him; she was only in the way. As the Hokage she had to die, and die she would, a slow and agonising demise. He couldn't allow her to control him.

And that is why he would make her pay for choking his heart in that vice.

She would suffer, drop to her knees and attempt to collect those tiny pieces of his love. But she would not- _could_ not- fix her destruction, for the sharpened fragments would slice her hands and through those hands cut into her very soul. Ah but she was determined, his Tsunade, and she would continue to gather his heart, only for the searing pain to stop her, forcing her to drop them once more.

Or least she would have, had his heart not already been so broken in the first place.

**End of Chapter**

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RS: Chapter 2 should be up relatively soon. I've never written a Naruto fanfiction before, let alone about a coupling I don't even go out of my way to read, so I hope I'm not fucking up too badly. Please leave me a review to help!


	2. Tsunade

RS: Woohoo, second and final chapter! Tsunade's pov.

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**Shattered Hearts**

**Tsunade**

He'd made his offer, and she'd refused. She'd made her choice, and it would haunt her until the very end.

"Sakura, it's been a long day. Go home and get some rest." She ordered. The cherry blossom smiled. It was forced; not even reaching her devastated eyes, was a failed attempt to mask her loneliness.

"Hai Tsunade-sama. Let me just gather some papers and I'll go. You should as go as well; you look tired. Sayonara!"

"Sayonara."

Gazing across her desk, she sadly observed her young apprentice who sorted through papers not too far away. With luscious pink locks cropped to be so spunky and end just above her shoulders and emerald eyes so dulled and far away, she was destined to walk in her mentor's footsteps. Walk them in all possible ways. Such was the penalty for falling love with a criminal.

Yes, she loved him. It called for another bottle of sake. It had been so unfair, his heartless insults when they were younger. She was in the midst of a mindless crush, beating away a perverse Jiraiya while silently pining. But he never glanced her way; never saw her as anything other than an annoyance. But nonetheless she'd loved him, her heart palpitating as he came near, using training as an excuse to spend time with him. He was practically the sole reason she'd grown to become as strong as she was, her desire to be around him pushed her to train as hard as she possibly could. And now look where it got her: sitting alone and drunk in her office, secretly pining for a man who wanted her dead. Things were fan-fucking-tastic.

She knew it was wrong of her to complain, she had had so much already: a loving family and sweetheart, power, accomplishment. Even if some of it had been taken away from her, at least she'd had them. That was more than most people could boast. And yet, she couldn't bring herself to _stop_ complaining. All the details of her life, good and bad, meshed together in her mind forming a tapestry that lay thickly across her brain, leaving a dulled fuzzy feeling as though it were of velvet rather than memories. To reminisce did her no good, only leaving her head even more jumbled than before. And the sake certainly wasn't helping.

She just couldn't get him out of her head. His presence endlessly tormented her, even in her subconscious. She dreamt of him often. He'd lie above her and scream her name. She'd rest bellow him, dragging her nail across his back. Afterwards was the inevitable heartbroken parting, perhaps where one of them died. And yet it was beautiful, oh so beautiful.

The blond wondered, fleetingly, if he ever thought of her. If he ever just sat down and remembered their Genin days when they'd sit and laugh and care for each other. She supposed not. What use would he have for such trivial thoughts? None. Did that make her a fool? A pawn in the confusing game of love? His toy? He had her wrapped around his little finger, despite her best efforts to resist, and he didn't even realize it.

He would come back, she knew. Another attack was just on the horizon. Would he assassinate her, like he did the last Hokage? Or try to at least. She knew she'd be able to hold him off if only for a short amount of time. What words would be exchanged during that battle? Would he ridicule her? Would she divulge her feelings? She didn't know.

In a sudden feeling of rage, she chucked her porcelain cup at the wall. She cursed herself for thinking such thoughts, cursed that _criminal_ for making her think them. She couldn't love him, she'd force herself not to. There were so much more important things to be done. She needed to prepare, for when he attacked again he needed to be stopped. As much as it agonized her to admit it, she would be forced to kill him when he arrived. And kill him she would, she'd force herself to, for his treason was inexcusable.

It was time to face facts: she and he were never meant to be. But that didn't stop her heart from loving him completely.

**The End**

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RS: So, that's the end of my challenge fic. I hope you all enjoyed! I definitely had fun writing it, so I'm glad I accepted.

Finalement: How bad was it? Are you sorry you gave it to me?

Leave a review!


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